FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Elizabeth Sims – BRP75 Media Relations and Communications
Blue Ridge Parkway Association
828.777.9493

Leesa Brandon – Executive Director and NC Coordinator
Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.
828.271.4779, x 224

ASHEVILLE, NC and ROANOKE, VA (August 27, 2009) – Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary Story Ideas

Parkway Celebrates 75th in 2010
Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began in 1935 during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Seventy-five years after the initial vision, the Parkway region will host a year-long celebration and commemoration of the Parkway, highlighting the past and, more importantly, focusing on the future through a wide range of Parkway-oriented events, initiatives, and investments. The 2010 commemoration is designed to have a long-term impact on the Parkway and its adjacent communities. A planning committee is hard at work to deliver an exciting and memorable year. The project launched in October of 2008 and will continue through the end of the Anniversary year.

The Parkway Faces 21st Century Challenges
The 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway provides an extraordinary opportunity to honor the history of this national treasure as well as to shine a light on some tough issues facing the Parkway as this important anniversary approaches. From environmental issues like air pollution and development pressures to staffing shortages due to unmet budget needs, the quality of visitor experiences and health of Parkway resources are in jeopardy.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea
In the fall of 2009, PBS will air Ken Burns and Florentine Films’ series on America’s National Parks. It is a dramatic story, full of high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration. Nonetheless, it is still the story of an idea — an idea that is constantly tested, constantly evolving, and inherently full of contradictory tensions: tensions between individual rights and the community, preservation, and exploitation; tensions between one generation’s desires and the next generation’s legacy. The Burns documentary is the perfect springboard to tie in with heightened public interest in National Park properties, including the historical struggles involved in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Parkway Travel is Lifeline in Mountain Communities
For many communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the millions of visitors experiencing the scenic road each year are a lifeline. In 2008, an estimated 16 million people traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway and left behind a $2.3 billion economic impact in surrounding localities. The Parkway’s 75th Anniversary is an opportunity to bring even more travelers to the region to celebrate this national treasure and enjoy neighboring communities, while instilling an appreciation of the Parkway’s standing as a fragile resource. The additional five million visitors who came to the Parkway during the 50th Anniversary in 1985, and the additional attendance in the years following, serve as a hopeful forecast for the upcoming 75th Anniversary and the communities along the Parkway.

Blue Ridge Parkway is the Ultimate Fall Color Destination
Every year the Blue Ridge Mountains put on a show of dramatic proportions and the Blue Ridge Parkway has front row seats. From late September through November, the many species of trees along the Parkway – more than found in all of Europe! – display vibrant oranges, bright reds, and rich gold hues, all visible to travelers on the scenic road. The Parkway’s elevation range of 5,700 feet means that visitors can always find fall color at its peak somewhere on the motor road during the fall season.

Flora and Fauna on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a respite for active travelers and is home to hundreds of lively mammal, reptile, and bird species as well as more than 1,000 vascular plant species. These numbers make the Parkway region one of the most diverse in the world. By day, squirrels and chipmunks chatter among the trees and visitors are likely to see foxes, opossums, and raccoons roaming through the woods at night. White-tailed deer, black bear, and flocks of turkey may appear in the early morning or evening. There are nearly 100 tree species along the Parkway, more than are found in all of Europe, including tulip trees, Virginia pine, dogwood, redbud, and spruce. Because the Parkway has an elevation range of 5,700 feet, a wide variety of plant vegetation can thrive here.

Parkway is an Outdoor Wonderland
If you are an outdoor enthusiast, the Blue Ridge Parkway is the perfect playground. Hiking levels range from novice to challenging so there’s something for every adventurer. The Parkway is also known as one of bicycling’s favorite journeys – even Lance Armstrong has ridden parts of the road as training for the Tour de France. Fly-fishing in one of the 600 streams along the road is another popular activity. And for the truly adventurous, there’s rock climbing.

Music and Craft along the Parkway
You can learn about the musical heritage of the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, Virginia, but don’t stop there. All along the Parkway, you’ll find talented musicians and instrument makers as well as practitioners of beautiful American craft – pottery, weaving, basket making, glass blowing, jewelry making, and quilting. Travel “The Crooked Road,” which is Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail; the Handmade in America Crafts Trails of Western North Carolina; and the Artisan Trails of Southwest Virginia – all of them intertwining with the Parkway. A detour into many of the communities near the Parkway will reward you with the music of our mountains as well as the opportunity to meet many of the craftspeople and artisans who live and work in the area.

The Ideal Family Vacation
Remember when the family car trip was America’s favorite way to vacation? It’s still a great way to see the country, learn about history, experience nature, and enjoy one another. The Blue Ridge Parkway offers vacationing families a wealth of options. Drive a little and hike. Drive a little and set up camp. Hop on bicycles and tour. Explore the stops, like Mabry Mill, which offer glimpses into early Appalachian life. Visit the Moses Cone mansion or the Folk Art Center and learn about the region’s crafts. If the best family vacations are the ones you remember the most, the Parkway is bound to be at the top of your list.

The Blue Ridge Parkway: A Moveable Feast
Jump on and off the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of regional specialties – country ham and biscuits, local honeys and jams, fresh produce right from the farm. Many communities near the Parkway also have active farmers’ markets from spring through fall. And don’t forget part of the pleasure of taking that long hike or spending a day fly-fishing or bicycling is the unbelievable picnic you can create to share with friends.

Can We Hold Class Outside?
The Blue Ridge Parkway offers students of all ages the opportunity to learn about so many things – American and regional history, environmental sciences, geology, bird watching, botany, engineering, and biology. Whether you’re an educator, a home schooler, or just someone who appreciates the opportunity to learn new things and help others learn as well, the Parkway offers a multitude of natural lessons.

The Parkway on Two Wheels
The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway rises and falls from the James River up to the highest point along the road at Mount Mitchell; the landscape varies from open pastures and pastoral farmland to curves and mountainous scenic overlooks. One of the best ways to experience this beautiful road is by bicycle or motorcycle, and the Parkway is extremely popular with both types of riders.

Parkway Offers Visitors New Technology Paired with Traditional Culture
The new Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville has been getting a lot of attention lately – and for good reason! Located at milepost 384 in Asheville, North Carolina, this LEED-certified visitor center hosts a 22-foot-long “I-wall” – an interactive map highlighting points of interest along the 469-mile Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway – America’s Favorite Journey is an award-winning video welcoming travelers to the Parkway and is shown in the Visitor Center’s 70-seat theater. Complete with a gift shop and plenty of information for the Parkway traveler, the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center is a destination of its own.

Parkway by the Numbers
The Blue Ridge Parkway has an unsurpassed diversity of climate zones, vegetation zones, physiographic zones, and geological features along its 469 miles. Park resources include 600 streams, 47 Natural Heritage Areas (areas set aside as national, regional, or state examples of exemplary natural communities), a variety of slopes and exposures, and possibly 100 different soil types. With an elevation range of 5,700 feet, the Parkway provides a home for both southern species at the lower elevations and northern species on the mountaintops. Seventy-five distinct plant communities have been documented, including 24 considered globally rare (seven of these considered globally imperiled). Taking advantage of this diversity are 14 major vegetation types, about 1,600 vascular plant species (second highest number of vascular plants for any national park); 50 are threatened or endangered. Nearly 100 species of trees grow along the Parkway, about as many as are found in all of Europe. Added to that are estimates of almost 400 species of mosses and nearly 2,000 species of fungi. Not to be outdone by the plants, many species of animals make their homes along the Parkway. Fifty-four different mammals, more than 40 salamanders, and 40 reptiles can be found on Parkway lands. One hundred fifty-nine species of birds are known to nest here with dozens of others passing through during fall and spring migrations.

Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc. is the non-profit organization designated by the National Park Service to lead the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary celebration. With representation from all of the Parkway’s partner groups, the states of North Carolina and Virginia, and community leaders along the 469-mile scenic route, Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.’s mission is to engage local communities and all visitors in an anniversary that focuses attention on a sustainable and healthy Parkway for future generations.